The Hunters Heart
by ElvisRose
Summary: Arthur has conflicted feelings about Mithian and Gwen. On top of that he's worried about Merlin. Magic Reveal. Its my first story so be nice please!
1. Musings

The Hunter's Heart

_It's getting worse_. Arthur thinks as he watches Merlin sulkingly prepares the horses for the hunt. Merlin had been surly and quiet as of late. And Arthur could have sworn that Merlin was getting better at lying. He was certainly practicing more. _If Gwen were here I could talk to her about him_, he thinks wistfully. He then violently shoved that thought away, scolding himself. This whole mess was her fault! Gwen wasn't here and if she were Merlin wouldn't be like this.

True the darkness and sadness that filled his friend had been coming on for years. Gwen's banishment, however, made Merlin snap. Merlin had been so insistent that she stay, that Arthur forgiver her and everything would be fine. He didn't even seem angry with Lancelot for his part in this, which was unlike Merlin. Merlin loved Lancelot but surely he couldn't forgive such an act? Arthur supposed that Lancelot's suicide has affected Merlin deeply as well.

There was a closeness in their relationship that Arthur knew was lacking between himself and his manservant. And now that Princess Mithian had arrived, they had started to drift further apart. Merlin was worse than ever before. He was rude and unthinking. He even seemed...haughty and arrogant. As if Princess Mithian were beneath him.

Earlier that day Mithian had told Arthur that she had approached his friend and confronted him about his behavior. Arthur was immediately wary; Merlin was snarky around people he liked, what would he be like around someone he disliked? Mithian looked sad when she told Arthur that Merlin had been honest and heartfelt with her. Merlin had told her that he didn't want her marrying Arthur. He thought it was a mistake.

"He also mentioned that you'd already found your true love and it is she who should be your Queen." Mithian said, searching Arthur's eyes for a negation of this allegation.

Arthur felt his face had gone dark and cold and knew that it scared her greatly. _So it all comes back down to Gwen_, he thought viciously. _What is it about her? I am about to be happy again and Gwen is _indirectly_ ruining it, again!_ Arthur had yelled repeatedly at Merlin for voicing his thoughts on her banishment. Yet Merlin was adamant, angry even. As if it were Arthurs fault that she had chosen Lancelot instead of him.

There was no comfort that Arthur could give Mithian and she walked away defeated. Arthur wondered what it was that she was feeling but couldn't find it in himself to care that much. She was to be his future wife, he should learn to care. Nevertheless he just couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Yes she was sweet and adorable and lively but she wasn't Guinevere.

She was a beautiful woman who would make a good Queen. _But will she make me truly happy? As happy as I was with Gwen? No, I'll never have what Gwen and I had, again._ _But I could have something different._ He banishes Gwen again, this time from his thoughts, and concentrates on the hunt.

In due course the horses were ready to go and Mithian looked ecstatic. Despite Merlin sulking in the background. The knights mount up and begin the hunting party.


	2. Hunting

"Maybe we should call it a day." Merlin complains knowing it's hopeless. He knows how much Arthur loves to hunt. And so does, it seems, his future bride.

"Nonsense, we've barley begun." Arthur drawls at his lazy manservant.

"Not much point in hunting if there's nothing to hunt, is there?" Merlin quipped.

"Well, we can give you a five minutes heard start." Arthur teased. Mithian snorted lightly and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Deer!" Sir Leon called as he spies a beautiful doe. The knights and lady all see it and they gave chase. Merlin jogged along half heartedly with the rest of the men. He joined the other servants and men beating bushes in order to drive out the lovely doe.

Arthur smirked at Mithian and then looked back for Merlin and noticed his missing friend. He looked around for him and frowned. There was no sign of Merlin or the deer. When Merlin reappeared and Leon announced that they were unable to find the creature, Arthur swore he saw Merlin smirk.

He wouldn't put it past Merlin to have scared the deer away on purpose. He often did it on accident during a hunt. He was too soft hearted and gentle to let anyone suffer, let alone an animal. Arthur glares and Merlin and he shrugs innocently. Though he does look preoccupied. The party returns to searching for any trace of the deer and Arthur forgets about Merlin.

"Sir," Leon called him over and pointed to the ground. "Deer tracks. Fresh ones." Arthur dismounted and joined him.

"Ah, she can't have got far then." Arthur mumbles as he starts searching for more tracks completely missing his friend's frantic search for the doe. Princess Mithian dismounted her horse and started for Arthur, Leon and Merlin. The King noticed something shiny on the ground and crouched to pick it up. He recognized it at once and it felt like and ice cold hand had gripped his heart.

It was Gwen's engagement ring. _So, back to Gwen again_, he thinks. _Why? What? How?_ He frowns, unable to form coherent thoughts. _Why would she cast it away? To cast me away?_ Oh Gods it hurt to find further evidence of their love when he was about to be happy again.

"Have you found the trail? My Lord?" Mithian asks as she approaches them. Arthur ignores her as he stares at what is left of his and Gwen's love. He feels nothing but numb. "My Lord?" she repeats, frowning. Arthur looks to Merlin. Merlin was Gwen's closest friend, surely he'd understand why she did this. Merlin looks pained and cannot hold eye contact for long. _He knows_, Arthur thinks, _He knows why she did this_. "My Lord?" Mithian is worried now. Slowly Arthur stands and starts to walk away, toward his horse.

"There'll be no more sport today," he says quietly.

"I didn't take you for a poor looser." Mithian joked. Arthur walked past her not sparing a glance. "My Lord?"

"There!" Sir Leon shouts. They turned and looked at the deer. She's just standing there watching them. One of the men hands Arthur his crossbow. Another hands Mithian hers. "Beauty. She's all yours Sire." But Arthurs heart is no longer in it but he takes aim anyways. He dimly notes Merlin's panicked face as he fires. The shot goes wide and he doesn't care. All he feels deadened and empty. His fragile attempt at moving on has shattered before his eyes and he doesn't care about anything at all.

"I thought you were a good shot, my lord." Mithian smirks. Little by little, Arthur starts to get irritated with her always joyful disposition. She aims her bow, fixed on the deer's heart. "Gold sovereign says she's hit." she boasts as Merlin starts moving. Arthur sees him out of the corner of his eye and he realizes what his friend is planning.

"NO!" Arthur is not sure if the shout came from him or from Merlin. Perhaps it comes from both of them. But it is too late; Mithian has already pulled the trigger. The forest goes silent. The only sound is the dull_ thwack!_ as the bolt rips through Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin's body is jerked backwards and he stumbles. He looks down at the bolt and then up at their horror struck faces as blood spills from his mouth. "No! No! No! No! No!" Arthur runs to him as his legs start to buckle. "Merlin!" He catches him and they slide to the ground together. Merlin smiles at him weekly.


	3. Magic

"That was an incredibly stupid thing to do Merlin! You idiot." he says as his hand flutters around the bolt. He's trying to stay strong for his friend but Merlin can see through him in a second. Just as he's always done. Mithian and the knights gather around them. Apologies constantly streaming from Mithian's mouth.

Merlin coughs up a laugh and some more blood. "I couldn't..." he gasps between breathes "let her...shoot...deer. You'd...never...forgive...yourself." he frowns at the pain. Arthur is more confused than ever. Even Mithian is silent at this. Gwaine switches his death glare from her to look at his best friend in confusion.

"Merlin it's just a deer." he explains slowly. A branch snaps nearby and they look up to see the deer tentatively approaching.

"GO!" Arthur shouts at it. "Get away from here!" His voice shatters like glass. The deer shot him a withering glance, if deer can do that. There was something incredibly human about her eyes. She looked sadly at Merlin and he reached out a hand toward her. She nuzzled his hand affectionately.

"Arthur!" Merlin said suddenly, turning to his master. "I'm so...sorry...for lying...to you...all this...time." He looked pained but not because of the arrow in his chest. He turned back to the deer and Arthur watched in horror as Merlin's eyes glowed gold and he muttered words in the tongue of the old religion.

Yet he did not withdraw as his men did. _Merlin is a sorcerer?_ he frowned _"You don't know how many times I've saved your life."_ Merlin had remarked once. Arthur felt the emptiness in his chest threatening to swallow him whole. He had lost Gwen, now Merlin is dying and he's a sorcerer? It is all too much to cope with.

He closes his eyes and rest his forehead on Merlin's, trying to compose his thoughts. Arthur was no fool, he realized that Merlin must have been using his magic to save him. So If Merlin was constantly using his magic to save him then surely magic wasn't all evil, was it? Because Merlin could never be evil. No matter what. And just like that, it doesn't matter. Arthur is okay with Merlin's lies. He'd have done the same thing in his place.

The men gasped and Arthur turned his attention back to the present. Merlin was staring contently at...Guinevere! He jumped in shock. Now Arthur understood; it Mithian had killed Gwen, Arthur would never forgive her, or himself.

"Oh, Merlin." she said, ignoring Arthur and looking at her friend. "You have magic!"

"Why...are you here...Gwen? ...banished..."

"It's Agravaine!" she said suddenly turning toward Arthur. " I overheard Morgana telling Helios that Agravaine found her copies of the siege tunnels. Agravaine's the traitor!"

"Told you." Merlin mutterd.

"Shut up _Merl_in! What where you doing near Morgana, Guinevere?" Arthur frowned. "And who is Helios?"

"The village I was staying in got raided by Southrons and their leader Helios spared my life and took me back with them. Morgana's hired them to be her attacking army. They caught me spying...Morgana turned me into a deer."

"Not to be a inconvenience but I'm dying here." Merlin quipped. Arthur gasped and looked back at his friend.

"You have magic Merlin why don't you just heal yourself?"

"You...clotpole! I can't just-" Merlin started. He paused and stared at Arthur for a second. "Now there's...an idea. I think Gaius could do it." He mumbled, dozing off.


	4. Healings

Immediately Gwaine is on his horse riding off to Camelot to get the aged physician. Arthur orders everyone, except for his most trusted knights and Guinevere, to return to Camelot. They clear the area more thoroughly and started a fire to keep Merlin warm. No one dared to remove the crossbow bolt from his chest.

Arthur wakes Merlin up, making sure he isn't dead, and situates him closer to the fire. He props Merlin up with his own body and makes him tell him everything about his magic. By the time Gwaine and Gaius show up, Merlin has just told him about poisoning Morgana.

Gwaine rushes to his friend's side and demands to know if he's better or worse. Before Arthur can answer, Gaius shoves the knights out of the way and takes his place. He begins examining his patient with cool precision.

"Merlin, what have you done now? Gwen can you get me some water?" Gaius says in rapid fire succession. He does a double take and looks at the serving girl in shock.

"Merlin has magic." She says. Gaius' head whips toward his ward and he glares at him in shock. Merlin shrugs weakly and leans into his friend. Arthur pats his head gently.

"Can you heal him, Gaius? With magic?" Arthur pleads.

"I may be able to… I can try, sir. Lay him flat. I'll need you to pull the bolt from his chest."

Arthur nods and grabs the crossbow bolt whilst Gaius dragged up memories he had buried long ago.

Arthur pulls.

Merlin screams.

"hǣlan" Even Arthur can see that Gaius' magic is not very strong, all that is left to do is pray that it works.

"That is all that can be done sire." Gaius says to the nearly catatonic King of Camelot as he finishes bandaging Merlin's left shoulder and chest.

"Is he going to be alright?" Arthur whisperes never taking his eyes off his friend's, his Merlin's, pale face.

"If he makes it through the night he will make a complete recovery." Gaius spoke with difficulty. "But he is still very weak and he has lost a lot of blood as well…" Gaius trailed off unable to complete the sentence, Arthur nodded.

"Can you help me move him closer to the fire sire?" Gaius asks as the last rays of the sun shone through the foliage. Arthur looks at him questioningly. "The best chance Merlin has is to be kept warm and hydrated so what little blood he has left is kept moving." Gaius explains.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asks his friend, lying down next to him.

"Weak, but my magic is helping Gaius' to heal me." Merlin whispers. They sit in silence for a moment. "What now?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know of my magic; what do we do now?"

"We go back to Camelot; I repeal the ban on magic, and make you my Court Sorcerer." Merlin looks at the King in shock. "If, you want." Arthur blushes.

"I do! I want that more than anything…"

"But?"

"Morgana can never know of my magic. It is too…dangerous."

"They're going to attack Camelot soon…I don't think it matters anymore Merlin."

"Perhaps."

"So, tell me more about your magic." Night falls and Merlin tells his friend everything. From being the last Dragonlord to Lancelot's shade. Arthur doesn't know how to take the news that he banished the woman he loved because she was under an enchantment. Merlin yawns and drifts to sleep and Arthur's eyes wander to Gwen's.

Everyone, it seems, has been listening to Merlin's stories. Gwen blushes and looks away. "I didn't say anything, because I didn't think it would make any difference." Arthur sighes and looks away. Tomorrow is a new day and he has much to change in Camelot.

THE END

Author's Note: I am so sorry that this took so long to get up! It's been two months! I feel awful! If the tone is different from the other chapters is because I haven't written in months! And now my list of excuses as to why this hasn't been up earlier: I had school finals in everything and had to do major work for my college classes, My grandma died so I had to cope with that :/

Thanks so much for reading! Please review! This is my first fanfic!


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